Emmaus Keeps Tax Same But Raises Water Bills

Emmaus residents won't see their real estate taxes increase next year, but their water bills will, to fund another air stripper needed to lower levels of carcinogens at a borough well.

Borough Council last night adopted its $5.4 million spending plan for 1992, which includes the phasing out of the Emmaus Communications Center. Three residents criticized council for switching to the Lehigh County Communications Center -- an action which would avoid duplication of costs and services.

Starting next year, residents will see an $18.65 added to their fifth water bill to fund the $224,000 air-stripping project, said Councilman Otto Slozer, chairman of the Water Committee. The annual fee will continue for three years so the borough can install an air stripper at Well 4 without going into debt or paying interest rates, Slozer said.

Well 4, at Boro Line Park in the Stryer section, has a fluctuating level of trichloroethylene, commonly known at TCE.

Borough Manager Bruce Fosselman said the level has been rising to the federal limit of 5 parts per billion.

Slozer said the stripper would also lower the levels of the chemical perchloroethylene, or PCE. Both TCE and PCE are carcinogens.

"We're at the point where we've got to take action," said Slozer. "We've also got to start monitoring the levels of PCE. If we don't, we will be in violation when the new regs (regulations) come into place."

The borough, he said, was advised to take action by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Residents will see the $18.65 surcharge on the fifth water bill, previously created to pay a low-interest PennVEST loan to fund air strippers at Wells 1, 2 and 7. Those strippers were needed to lower unacceptable levels of TCE, an industrial degreasing agent.

The fifth water bill now runs between $5 and $6. Council approved the new surcharge with a "sunset provision," which means the additional cost will die within three years.

Also last night, council came under fire for approving the 5.5-mill budget, which will do away with the borough communications center.

Scott Gross said the phasing out of the communications center would constitute a public safety hazard.

As a taxpayer, he said he would not object to a half mill or 1-mill tax increase to pay for the service. He said the borough's operation provides a better service and questioned what the county's future services would be like.

"Please do not let the savings of money be a tragedy of someone else," he said, referring to response times.

Barry Barto criticized council for the move, saying residents are used to placing a call to the center and getting an immediate response from the borough emergency service teams.

He said council got more comment on the ordinance to license cats than to do away with the service. He said the borough modernized its communications center two years ago. That purchase included a $28,000 communications console and a $6,800 radio tower.

"It seems this is a relatively high priority item ... that came through the back door," said Barto.

Borough officials say $110,000 would be saved annually by the switch. If the borough kept the dispatching system, there would be at least a -1/2-mill increase, according to Fosselman.

Council President Richard Keim said no firm date to phase out the center had been set. However, it will happen in 1992, he said.

Keim said council will respond to the concerns of Police Chief Frank Taylor who raised several issues on the switch during budget hearings. Council will tour the county facility and ask questions about the operation.

"We're not taking this move very lightly," said Keim. "By 1993, we must be under 911. There is no way to deviate from that. We want to know what the response times are. We are going to continue to gather data ourselves."

Keim said the borough would keep its communications equipment maintained and operational if the county didn't not live up to the borough's expectations. If that is the case, the borough may return to its own system, he said.

Two full-time dispatchers and five to seven part-time employees now work in the borough communications center, said Fosselman.